Clean Wood Cabinetry And Furniture Stains With Baking Soda

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Ok, I might as well add more tips for keeping your home clean today and discuss how baking soda has helped us around the house recently.

We’ve had this bizarre problem now that the sun is out. I’ve never actually seen it occur, but there were weird, greasy streaks on our doors and wood cabinetry at exactly La Jolla Girl’s height. Finally, I linked it to her sunscreen. We use California Baby and it definitely works for her. I have no guilt about using it since it’s natural. The marks kept appearing with more and more frequency, so even La Jolla Dad declared that we need to explore other sunscreen options. The stains seem to go deep into the wood finish because they can’t be wiped off even with wood cleaners like Murphy’s Oil.

I Googled until I stumbled on a website that suggested baking soda as method for cleaning stains off wood products. I made a small paste with water, rubbed it on and it was like magic when they disappeared. Sometimes I had to apply the baking soda twice, but I was so relieved.

My family is messy. My cleaning supply cabinet is way too cluttered with specialty cleaners. In fact, today a pile of them came crashing down as I tried to reach into the very back to get a new sponge. So, I’m interested in consolidating, especially with green cleaners.

Simple Ways To Clean With Baking Soda

1. I ran out of stainless steel cleaner so I sprinkled baking soda on my stove, wiped it and, voila, it was nice and shiny. Same with my stainless steel fridge.

2. Grease fires can be put out by using baking soda. I put a box in a cabinet by the stove for easy access.

3. Use baking soda to clean burned food off the bottom of pots. This happens all the time in my house. I normally use Barkeepers Friend which I ran out of, so I tried baking soda. It worked with some elbow grease.

4. It cleans the kiddie pool. La Jolla Girl has a huge Little Tikes pool that we struggle with keeping clean in the summer. It wasn’t used for a few days and grew some green funk in it. I used a few sprinkles of baking soda, a sponge and a hose to get rid of it. Easy.

5. Use equal baking soda and white toothpaste to remove water stains on wood coffee tables. I haven’t tried it but baking soda apparently will remove alcohol stains. We get a lot of the latter in our house since we have a dark wooden coffee table. On our table, I can’t differentiate between what is water and alcohol so I just cleaned all of the rings simultaneously.

6. Crayon marks on painted walls can be wiped off with a sponge and baking soda. Though Magic Eraser works pretty well!

7. I haven’t tried this yet, but it supposedly brightens clothes if you use it in your laundry.

We all know the obvious—baking soda is non-toxic, multi-purpose and really cheap. This is an excellent option for those trying to go green around the house.

I went to the Arm and Hammer website and they allow you to register for special offers, though it takes 8 weeks to process. And, no, they didn’t in any way prompt me to write this post.

96 Comments

Thank you for your post! Iï¸ was able to get sharpie off my old light wood kitchen table with sunscreen. Just wiped it away! But when Iï¸ tried the same trick on my new dark wood table, it cleaned the pencil but left lotion marks! Baking soda paste did the trick to clean that. Then Iï¸ applied wax and it looks perfect again. Thanks!!

I use baking soda for cleaning water stains in the toilet. They are very hard to remove. With a lot of effort and scrubbing it works! I mixed vinegar and baking soda to spray the bathtub, too. I hope my tips are useful. Best regards!

It’s been two years now that I clean my sinks only with baking soda to avoid spreading chlorine in the environment and I must say that the sponge I use to do this is much cleaner than if I used it with a commercial scouring powder.

The same goes with washing floors with vinegar. First it smells much better (french fries), and second the mop and pail are much easier to clean afterwards. So the whole procedure is much faster.
.-= [email protected] illuminated mirrors´s last blog ..Bathroom Mirror Medicine Cabinet =-.

What great tips! My mom used baking soda on a mattress to get rid of stale odors. Works like a charm! I’ve taken the same technique and use it to freshen up a rug.
.-= A H.I.T.´s last blog ..Making Amends =-.

Wow I never ever though of all the uses that baking soda has! I have been trying to go more natural in all my cleaners as the chemical based ones tend to give me really massive migraines and I am SO glad that I saw this in the sits blog! YAY!
And googling this… how neat! Gotta try to see if I can’t find other natural cleaners. I already make our own laundry detergent, using ivory for now but will soon be using my own soaps!

I never even thought of Googling something like this! I have white rings on my dark kitchen table and I just figured I’d have to live with them for the rest of my life haha. I’m definitely going to try baking soda!
.-= Jessica – This Is Worthwhile´s last blog ..2:50 pm =-.

We use baking soda a lot. In particular we use it (combined with vinegar) as a fabric softener. In the wash we put the normal washing powder and then 1/4 cup of baking soda. We set the cycle to have no spin. Then when that is done we put 1/4 cup of vinegar in and set to rinse and spin. I was cynical at first (my husband is working towards us using all green cleaning products) but it works really well.

My maternal health nurse also told me that making a paste of baking soda is good for removing cradle cap on babies. I’ve been doing it for my 10-week-old and it is definitely loosening it up. You put it on the head about 10 mins before a bath!
.-= Emily´s last blog ..Portable UV Dummy Sterilizer =-.

I’m going to have to try this for sure. I recently found that if you make a paste of it you can put it in your hair if there is hair spray buildup. Having 3 girls that has started being a problem now & then! Enjoy your day in the SITS spotlight!
.-= The Mom @ Babes in Hairland´s last blog ..Thought for Thursday =-.

I love baking soda. I too am working on twiddling down my huge supply of cleaning products because you can clean just about anything with baking soda and vinegar.
BTW, I have tried the baking soda in the wash and it does work.

Great info! I use baking soda instead of “barkeeper’s friend”. If the cooking spray doesn’t come off of a pan, making a paste of b.s. and water gently “scratches” it off. My favorite is to mix it with vinegar for cleaning. Pour some b.s. down your sinks/tubs, follow up with vinegar, and when it’s done fizzling follow up with some hot water. No more spending a ton of money on Draino anymore! Also… we fill an empty Parmesan cheese shaker with b.s. Walk around and sprinkle it all over the carpet, let it set overnight and vacuum up the next day – goodbye stinky floors!

Stopping by from SITS these are great ticks. We just discarded a burned out pan because nothing was working, but now I know for the future
.-= GReedyGirl1´s last blog ..Drinks on Us: Low-Calorie Cocktails =-.

We live in FL, and my Mom used to always make a baking soda paste with water to put on mosquito bites. Takes the stinging out, cools and reduces the swelling!
.-= Viv´s last blog ..Talking Up the Weight of Silence =-.

I was just wondering last night what to do about a spot on my dresser. I’m so glad to find this post! I’ll have to give some baking soda paste a try. Thanks!
.-= Rachel´s last blog ..Outdoor Flower Pot Gardening =-.

Yup, baking soda is awesome! I try and use only natural cleaners in every part of my cleaning routines, and baking soda is the natural cleaner king! I use it cleaning the tub, the kitchen sink, armpits in clothes, porous wood, and my favorite, cat boxes!
Happy cleaning!

I love using baking soda as a cleaner. These are some great tips. I use it to clean my tile shower floor in place of cleansers like Comet. It also works great to take odors out of coolers and water jugs. I just make a paste and scour the insides, then rinse really well. No more water that tastes like homemade rootbeer, apple juice or punch. 🙂
.-= Kara´s last blog ..Decorating with Old Calendars =-.

I use baking soda in the laundry and it is great to help get rid of the smell in towels especially during the humid days of summer here in Florida.
I also don’t use shampoo on my hair at all, I just use water and some conditioner every few days. But I do use baking soda to wash my hair after I’ve been swimming in a clorinated pool or salt-water. It works really good without stripping the natural oils in your hair.
I’ll have to try some of the other cleaning tips.
.-= Lorie Shewbridge´s last blog ..Self Portrait Sunday =-.

Amazing! I think baking soda just became my new favorite cleaner! Thank you so much. My grandmother always said it was good if you were out of toothpaste. just wet your brush, stick some on, and voila! Sparkley shiney teeth!

Love this post!! I use baking soda for so many things as well! It is what I use to clean our bathtub every week – it’s great and gets rid of all the soap scum!
.-= Jackie´s last blog ..How I Want to Wash Cloth Diapers =-.

I’m a big fan of baking soda for cleaning as well.
For your bathroom sink, try a little baking soda + water paste.
You can make a homemade cleaning solution with some baking soda made into a paste with a little vinegar and 1 or 2 drops of citrus essential oil. Great “green” cleaner.

I didn’t know there were some many uses for baking soda. I knew it kept refrigerator odors at bay…but cleaning pots and pans? News to me. I’m going to remember that (and hope I never have to use it)!
.-= Kim´s last blog ..Rave Reviews: Velveeta Shells & Cheese Cups =-.

About Me

I'm Katie Dillon, a luxury travel writer and luxury hotel expert who lives in seaside La Jolla, CA. This is where I document my recent trips around the world, the latest San Diego happenings and other fun lifestyle topics. CST# 2011220-40

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